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Reviews of Gaya Island Resort

5 out of 5
Gaya Island Resort
Malohom Bay, Pulau Gaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Gaya Island, Sabah

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 241 out of 436 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 145 out of 436 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 34 out of 436 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 436 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 6 out of 436 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Lesley

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Had a lovely stay, would like to have seen more food options and later bar food service. Activities team were great, reception and waiting staff were not very friendly, expected a higher level of service.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Siu Chui

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The property has a beautiful setting with the sea and a primary forest as its backdrop. The hotel excursions are excellent with an added inspiration on marine and forest conservation. Coral garden snorkelling and forest trekking are highly recommended. The staff are all genuinely kind and attentive. A very good resort.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jane

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Tracy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sophie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Matthew

Travelled with partner
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Starting with the positives, Gaya Island Resort is in a wonderful setting. The accommodation is spacious with nice outlooks, though depending where you are you could have quite an uphill hike to your rooms. We had the buffet meals in the dining room and the standard of what was offered was very high. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The service however of the management and reservations team leading up to our visit was appalling. Despite having paid in full we were sent automated messages threatening to cancel our booking and keep any monies already paid. When we replied explaining payment had been made and asking for clarification we simply received the same message again. None of these messages came with a name or contact details. Several attempts to ring the reservations line all concluded the same way i.e. being told all the lines were busy and the phone call was dropped. Expedia's initial attempts to contact the resort also failed but we assume they eventually worked, as we received an email from the resort informing us we should ignore the previous messages. No hint of an apology was offered. On top of this, on two of the days we stayed there was, for different periods of time, no water and no electricity. Regarding the water, on one occasion this lasted for over 9 hours. Finally the cleanliness of the resort in some areas was disappointing. In particular the gym floor was covered in sand and even hairs - very unpleasant.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Samantha, Li Cheng

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Villa was nice and spacious. Service was excellent. Food needs to improve
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Yen Ying

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful Gaya Island Retreat
My family and I stayed at GIR for 2 nights and had a great time. The rooms were enormous (complete with separate areas for walk in robes, bathtub, shower, toilet). Room amenities were excellent, with bug spray and ointment for insect bites. Our rooms had fantastic views across the sea to Mt Kinabalu, beautiful to watch the sunrise every morning. The staff were all very friendly and attentive to our needs. We will absolutely be back again. Thank your GIR for a great time!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Each room has a bath tub but there were less hot water in the evening. Even after water filled, many aunts was floating.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 11 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share with us your feedback. Your feedback is essential in our effort to improve our service standards. I apologize for the hiccups occurred during your stay. Your comments have been shared with the appropriate departments so that they may be addressed. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
suggest book activity or dinner reservation early, before arrive as not many slots
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Anna Ng on 9 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for sharing with us your feedback. We were hoping you could tell us about your experience so that we may work on improving in those areas. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Seo Young, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Please feel free to contact me directly and it will be my pleasure to assist you if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved almost everything. The property and rooms were spectacular. pool was beautiful and the food was fantastic. The only thing I didn't absolutely love - mattress softness, having to rent watersports equipment rather than it being included
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Alice

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great hotel and staff. A very relaxing island escape.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Alice, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The water was clear and beautiful, the staff was extremely welcoming, and the experience was overall very relaxing.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Adam, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Jungle walk and snorkeling ..... . ................. .
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share with us your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

8/10 Good

Norlida

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Ms Norlida, Thank you for taking the time to share with us your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share with us your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
excellent weekend in superb setting near KK
We had an excellent weekend at Gaya Island Resort. An amazing setting so near KK and yet so far away. Without exception staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The food was also perfect with the chef willing to go the extra mile.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Anna Ng on 7 Jan 2020
Dear Robert, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments will be shared with our entire staff. We are very glad to know you were pleased with your overall stay. We look forward to hosting your stay once again and continuing to meet your expectations. Thank you for choosing Gaya Island Resort!

10/10 Excellent

Stella, Amsterdam

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful resort!! And from our room excellent view to the bay and all the pied hornbills, loved it!!!! A pity that the European and Japanese food were not good, instead of the local food, which was wonderful!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved the location and experience, although as a single traveller thought there might be s bit more to do especially at night
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from T on 9 Oct 2019
Thank you for your kind feedback. We appreciate your feedback very much and will look into further improvements. We look forward in welcoming you back in the future! Kind regards, Terrence Boyd Rooms Manager

8/10 Good

Kirk

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good stay but Plan for all the extra costs!
Very nice resort. Private beaches were very nice. Breakfast buffet had many selections and was delicious. Staff go out of their way to please, but at times they seemed short handed and had to wait for service. One time in particular was told to sit and wait by front desk staff then they forgot about me. 20 minutes later I reminded them. My main complaint is the very high fee for travel to the island. It is a short 10 minute boat ride but they charge a docking fee if you find a lower cost option with local boat transportation. It’s a ripoff! Also food prices on the island are Western world priced or higher. Out of whack with the local economy. But there are no other options.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Mr T on 23 Sept 2019
Thank you for your kind feedback. We appreciate your feedback very much and will look into further improvements. We look forward in welcoming you back in the future! Kind regards, Terrence Boyd Front Office Manager

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful resort. Exceptional staff. We were treated like individuals rather than just guests. A wonderful stay.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Mr T on 23 Sept 2019
Thank you for your kind feedback. We appreciate your feedback very much. We look forward in welcoming you back in the future! Kind regards, Terrence Boyd Front Office Manager

8/10 Good

Julia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
There were minor problems with the room. But these were promptly sorted.The coral and fish in the sea, right at the side of the hotel was amazing for snorkelling, though you need to watch out for sea urchins. The staff were wonderful. The seafood was great. A special thanks to Executive Sous-Chef Dolis for his hospitality and making us feel so welcomed.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Mr T on 23 Sept 2019
Thank you for your kind feedback. We appreciate your feedback very much and will look into further improvements. We look forward in welcoming you back in the future! Kind regards, Terrence Boyd Front Office Manager

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Comfort and luxury with kind and accommodating staff and a beautiful location (including fantastic reef snorkeling right at the resort).
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Mr T on 23 Sept 2019
Thank you for your kind feedback. We appreciate your feedback very much. We look forward in welcoming you back in the future! Kind regards, Terrence Boyd Front Office Manager

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
When we got the boat over to the resort the staff left our passports behind we were left without these for over 24 hours which is obviously quite distressing being such an important document. I settled my bill when I left the resort however since returning home I have been charged over £100 with no explanation.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gaya Island resort is 10 mins ferry ride away from kota kinabalu main island, a beautiful resort built on a secluded tropical island and the first view of the resort takes your breath away. Facilities - beautiful resort with adequate facilities. Gym is well equipped, pool clean and well kept, an amazing beach just on the doorsteps and a spa (which i didn't visit) Room - we have the canopy view room (i think the cheapest in class) but very nice and well thought out. The ac in one of the two rooms was a little weak but ok. Service - they have an amazing crew. very well informed and trained. service was genuine and attentive. My bag tore at the bottom and they sew it up for me! crowd - more of a family and honeymoon place (luckily without a lot of kids) we were a group of 4 girls and didnt see other groups. Not a rowdy place, very nice that way Overall this resort is very nice, but a few things to notice: Ferry - it's very expensive (160RM return) if you ever want to go to town, when an average meal in the city is around 20RM...stock up before you go to the resort if you're staying a few days and would need some snacks/ options Restaurant/ food - so when the ferry is so expensive, and you're at a resort, you'd want to spend more time being at the resort, however, i really think the food is average at best. We had tried out most of the menu and just found it to be overpriced (expected at a hotel), but without the quality to match, so that was one of a big minus for me.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It would be nice for all rooms to be equipped with irons and ironing boards.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Mary Bong on 13 Jul 2019
Warm Greetings from Gaya Island Resort! Thank you for highlighting this matter. Indeed in resort, we do provide iron and ironing board with upon request. If there is anything we could further assist you with, please do not hesitate to let us know.

10/10 Excellent

Christopher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A tropical paradise
Fabulous location, beautiful facilities and staff who go the extra mile every time
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Vivienne

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Booked Kinabalu Villa, view was fantastic. However, there isn't any buggy available in the resort. Walking is the only mode of transport. You will need to walk up the steep slope.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

melanie

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
What a beautiful and exclusive resort! The staff, rooms, amenities...all 10 out of 10!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mrs Grace M

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Better to Book direct with hotel's website
I had a really relaxing stay with 2 of my of girlfriends for 3 nights. We had booked 2 rooms and they upgraded to a suite which was amazing. The resort is in a beautiful setting, very peaceful and it's possible to snorkel in some coral very close to the resort. The food in the restaurants is very good and the spa is wonderful in the most peaceful setting. A few watch outs: It's expensive to get to the resort on the way out we organised a taxi from the airport to Jessleton point to get to the resort and that cost over 25 GBP! They wanted to charge double as it was after 10pm when we were getting picked up which I questioned and then they managed to find another car! (it's a short journey) On the way back we organised a Grab (SE Asia's Uber) and it cost 2 GBP so my advice would be download grab before you get to Malaysia! If you book a 3 night stay direct on their website transfers from jesselton point to the resort are free and you get a 50 mins massage at the spa so do check out if it's better to book direct or with Hotels.com. Signage at the resort is poor so it can be difficult to navigate around and there are no golf buggies to take you around the resorts (the rooms are up hills) which for some people, especially in the heat could be an issue. The resort will organise a van to take you around but you have to ask for it. The private beach you can go to is wonderful but don't bother getting the picnic - just use the restaurant at the private beach.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice place, boat ride over to island is fast but not so beautiful because of the trash in the water 😭
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The best hotel
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Saskia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spectacular island resort. Room / villa was amazing with the most wonderful shampoo / conditioner etc. Only two slight negatives - when i arrived my room was not ready and for 2 hours i sat in the heat without access to my luggage to get my swimmers for a refreshing dip in the pool. And the other was the food - after having been in KK experiencing the street food and my other hotel's food, the resort food was a little ordinary, particularly given the cost of in-resort food. it was bountiful but average in taste and attention to regional culinary flavours. But, on a positive, this place has THE BEST pool I've swum in in possibly ever. It was magnificent.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
All good in Gaya!
Great venue, great food, great people. A holiday that I really enjoyed, nothing was too much trouble. A must visit Resort.
Stayed 12 nights in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice staying, staff is really kind and helpful always. They have servals actitites to provide to the guests (free or charges) in the island. Good place for relaxing holiday.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

HORDON

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Place to revisit soon
There were many complimentary programs you can enjoy. All staff members showed big smiles all the time, and some of them picked up my lost cap and returned it to me. Big-family trips can get a discount on special dinners, too.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

janice

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Love everything about this place!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Harrison

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Shane, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent service, good food and fond memories!
Room is showing its age but it should return to its glory days with minor touch up. Service was excellent, especially front staff! Would recommend dining at fishermen’s cove - fresh food, excellent service and nice ambience to wind down the day.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Very good
A very nice place. But very expensive When on the island. Staff are great .
Stayed 4 nights in May 2018